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Iran | Executions in Shiraz, Borazjan, Ahvaz, Isfahan, Ardabil, Rasht, Ghaemshahr, Neishabur

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 23, 2025: Mahin Rashidi, Abbas Alami, Naser Faraji, Tohid Barzegar and Jamshid Amirfazli, five co-defendants on death row for drug-related offences, were secretly executed in a group hanging in Shiraz Central Prison. 

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, four men and a woman were hanged in Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison on 17 December 2025. Their identities have been established as Mahin Rashidi, a 39-year-old woman, Abbas Alami, 43, Naser Faraji, 38, Tohid Barzegar, 51, and Jamshid Amirfazli, 45, all Kashan natives.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “They were arrested in a joint case around 16 months ago. In court, the judge asked whether they were remorseful. Naser replied: ‘If I were released today, I would still continue this path, because I’ve endured so much poverty and hardship and can’t make a living any other way than this job.’”

The five co-defendants were executed without prior notification to their families and consequently, without last family visits.

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 503 people were executed for drug-related charges, of which only under 3% were announced by official sources. 17% of all drug-related executions in 2024 were Baluch minorities while they represent 2-6% of Iran’s population. At least 697 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first eleven months of 2025.

Public execution in Borazjan


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 22, 2025: Mohammad Zakeri, a man on death row for murder, was publicly hanged in a Borazjan cemetery. He is the eleventh man to be publicly hanged in Iran.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in the Borazjan cemetery on 2 December 2025. His identity has been established as Mohammad Zakeri from the village of Dasht Gour Shabankareh in Bushehr. He was arrested seven years ago and sentenced to public qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Mohammad was arrested in relation to the murder of an eight-year-old girl. The child’s mother also faced criminal charges. The child’s father who was imprisoned in Borazjan Prison was willing to accept blood money but the mother was pressured into signing the document for execution. The father was brought to the scene of the execution from prison.”

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Mohammad Zakeri is eleventh man to be publicly hanged in Iran in 2025. Iran is one of the few countries in the world to carry out executions in public spaces. 2021 was the only year in more than a decade that the Islamic Republic did not carry out any public executions, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic that year. Public executions resumed in 2022 with two people being hanged, and in 2023 the number of public executions rose again to seven. In 2024, four people were executed in public in Iran.

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.

Crucially, while an indicative diya amount is set by the Judiciary every year, there is no legal limit to how much can be demanded by families of the victims. IHRNGO has recorded many cases where defendants are executed because they cannot afford to pay the blood money. Should the victim’s family choose execution, they are not only encouraged to attend, but also to physically carry out the execution themselves.

According to IHRNGO’s 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 419 people including a juvenile offender and 19 women, were executed for murder charges, the highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Only 12% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2024, Iran Human Rights also recorded 649 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions. At least 641 people were executed for murder charges in the first eleven months of 2025.

The footage of Mohammad Zakeri’s public hanging can be viewed here. (Warning: the video contains distressing content and is not suitable for viewers under 18.)

Executions in Ahvaz 


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 26, 2025: Habib Amouri and Nasser Jannatpour, two Ahvazi Arab men on death row for separate murders, were executed in Ahvaz Sepidar Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged Ahvaz Sepidar Prison on 23 December 2025. Their identities have been established as Habib Amouri, a 43-year-old Arab father of one from Ahvaz, and Nasser Jannatpour, a 48-year-old father of one from Ahvaz.
They were both arrested around four years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Executions in Isfahan


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 26, 2025: Eskandar Bakhshoudeh, Nariman Mohammadi and Taher Bastani, three men on death row for separate murders, were executed in Isfahan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged Isfahan (Dastgerd) Central Prison on 22 December 2025. Their identities have been established as Nariman Mohammadi and Taher Bastani who were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

On 24 December, another man was executed at the prison. His identity has been established as 32-year-old Eskandar Bakhshoudeh from Tehran. He was arrested for allegedly killing another individual during a street fight around three years ago and also sentenced to qisas for murder.

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Executions in Ardabil 


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 25, 2025: Hessam Norouzi and Mohammad Hassan Sharafi, two men on death row for murder, were executed in Ardabil Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged Ardabil Central Prison on 20 December 2025. His identity has been established as 28-year-old Hessam Norouzi from Khalkhal. He was arrested around four years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court. He was transferred to the gallows from Ward 1 of the prison.

On 23 December, another man was executed at the prison. His identity has been established as Mohammad Hassan Sharafi from Ardabil. He was arrested around three years ago and also sentenced to qisas for murder.

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Executions in Rasht 


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 25, 2025: Mehdi Rajabalizadeh and Sohrab Majidi, two men on death row for separate murders, were executed in Rasht Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged Rasht (Lakan) Central Prison on 24 December 2025. Their identities have been established as 23-year-old Mehdi Rajabalizadeh from the village of Haji Bekandeh in Rasht, and 30-year-old Sohrab Majidi from Sari.

Both men were arrested around four years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court. Mehdi was accused of killing another individual during a street fight.

Sohrab’s execution was executed without his family being notified.

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Executions in Ghaemshahr 


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 23, 2025: State media have reported the executions of two unnamed men for rape charges at an unspecified location.

According to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency, two unnamed men were executed for rape charges at an unspecified location on 23 December 2025.

Abbas Pouriani, the Mazandaran province Chief Justice, stated: “This case relates to the crime of rape that occurred in 1401 (2022–2023) in Simorgh County. After the complainant filed a complaint…they were sentenced to death on rape charges by Branch 2 of the Mazandaran province First Criminal Court.”

In cases of rape, there is a high chance of defendants being tortured to make false confessions, which is used to issue death sentences. Iran is one of the few countries in the world that issues the death penalty for rape. A lot of cases are also rushed without the defendants having access to a lawyer. According to the 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 22 people were executed for rape charges across 10 prisons. At least 35 men were hanged for rape charges in the first 11 months of 2025.

EDIT: IHRNGO has established the two men’s identities as Yaser Ghoreishi and Mohammadreza Nikkhah and Mizan News Agency later reported the location of their executions as Ghaemshahr Prison.

Executions in Neishabur


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 23, 2025: Houshang Amiri, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Neishabur Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged Neishabur Prison on 23 December 2025. His identity has been established as Houshang Amiri, a 46-year-old father of two from Neishabur.  He was arrested around four years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Houshang Amiri was a bus driver and had got into a fight with a passenger that led to them being killed.”

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, December 23-25, 2025




"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde


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